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Jurien, also called Jurien Bay, is a small coastal town in Western Australia, located 266 kilometres (165 mi) north of Perth facing the Indian Ocean.
[edit] History
The coastline around Jurien Bay was first known to Europeans in the 17th century. In 1801-1803, an expedition under the command of Nicolas Baudin sailed along the Western Australian coast. Louis de Freycinet, a cartographic surveyor on the expedition, named Jurien Bay after Charles Marie Jurien (1763-1836) of the French naval administration. The area was visited by a number of English explorers from 1822 onwards.[2]
The first settlement was established in the mid-1850s by Walter Padbury. A jetty was constructed in 1885-1887 due to the success of pastoralism. In the early 1900s, a temporary fishing village was built around the Jurien jetty and the coastal waters were used for catching dhufish, snapper and groper. Permanent residences were only built in the 1950s; however the buildings were only corrugated iron shanties instead of properly built dwellings. The settlement did not grow due to poor and unreliable water supply.
The townsite was surveyed and was gazetted as Jurien Bay on 21 December 1956, but was renamed to Jurien in 1959. Crayfish are abundant in this area, and the town's development soon became influenced by the crayfish industry. New jetties, factories and an airstrip were constructed so that crayfish goods could be flown south to Perth. The crayfishing industry, known as the Western Rock Lobster, has now become a multi-million dollar industry, sending goods regularly to Japan and the United States. The town reverted to its original name in 1999.
Today, Jurien Bay has depended on crayfishing and tourism for its survival. Local residents claim roughly that the town's population nearly doubles during the crayfishing season. A coastal road was recently constructed to give quick access to the neighbouring towns of Leeman, Cervantes and Green Head. The town now also has many facilities including a supermarket, sporting facilities and a restaurant. The town's population in 2003 is about 1,500. The town contains a district high school, and is visited by a daily Greyhound coach service from Perth.[3]
[edit] Demographics
At the ABS 2006 census, Jurien Bay had a population of 1,175 people,[1] which represented over one-third of the total population of the Shire of Dandaragan. It was surveyed within the Moore region, which includes five local council areas to the north of Perth with a population of 14,038, and has grown consistently over recent years.[4]
Jurien Bay residents had a median age of 42, compared to the Moore regional average of 40 and the State average of 37. 21.29% of the population were under 16 years of age at the census, while 26.92% (above the regional average of 20.52% or the state average of 16.64%) were over 60 years of age. The median individual income in the area was $453 per week, while 1.49% of the population had incomes above $1,000 per week. The main industry sector in Jurien Bay was construction (13.29%) followed by hospitality (12.20%), retail (11.33%), manufacturing (8.06%), education (7.19%) and agriculture (5.66%)—representing significant declines in retail and agriculture since the 2001 census. 3.92% were employed by the mining industry. This profile differed significantly from both Dandaragan and the region, where over 28% were involved with agriculture.
Nearly all of Jurien Bay's 514 occupied dwellings were separate homes, although a small number of townhouses and units were located in the northern section of the town. The caravan park in Jurien accommodated 59 residents in 38 dwellings. In common with the Shire of Dandaragan generally but at odds with the region, a high number - 407 - of Jurien Bay's dwellings were unoccupied. The average house price in Jurien Bay in the 12 months to January 2008 was $476,250, significantly higher than the regional average.[5]
The population of Jurien Bay are predominantly Australian-born, with 77.7% of its residents being born in Australia as at the 2001 census. The second most prevalent birthplace was the United Kingdom at 5.79%. 3.33% of Jurien's population reported one or both parents of Italian birth. The most popular religious affiliations in descending order in the 2001 census were Anglican, no religion, Roman Catholic, Uniting, and Presbyterian. The Daughters of Charity have a parish ministry based in Jurien Bay.[6]
[edit] Politics
Polling place statistics are shown below showing the votes from Jurien Bay in the federal and state elections as indicated.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
